Spring allergies have many of us feeling under the weather this time of year. But if you have allergies that get worse at home and better when you’re away, they might not be allergies at all.
Hidden problems in your crawl space or basement, like moisture, humidity, and mold, can impact your indoor air quality and make you feel sick at home.
In this guide, we explain the signs of unhealthy indoor air quality and what you can do if the air in your home is making you sick.
How Your House Affects Your Health
There are a lot of things in your house that can impact your health. Everything from serious offenders like mold and asbestos to lesser-known contaminants like air fresheners and cleaning supplies.
The unifying factor, however, is air. All of these (and other) contaminants make you sick by infiltrating the air inside your home. Once they’re in your air, they get recirculated throughout your house over and over again by your HVAC system.
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, indoor air is often 2 to 5 times more polluted than outdoor air. Considering the average American spends 90% of their time indoors, that’s a serious problem.
Top Offenders
Your home’s building envelope plays a huge role in either protecting your health or making things worse. Here are some of the biggest problem areas:
- Unsealed Crawl Spaces - A vented crawl space is a magnet for moisture, humidity, mold, and pests. Air from your unsealed crawl space is constantly being sucked up into your living spaces, which means you’re breathing in that contaminated air.
- Wet Basements - Leaks, pooling water, and high humidity in your basement can lead to mold and mildew growth and create damp musty odors that permeate your home.
- Poor Air Sealing - Gaps, cracks, and leaks in your home’s structure let outdoor allergens, pollutants, and pests into your house.
Symptoms of Poor Indoor Air Quality
If your home has indoor air quality issues, your body may be sending warning signs. Breathing in polluted air can make you feel sick with flu-like symptoms. It can also trigger asthma attacks and make allergies worse.
Here are some of the most common signs that your indoor air may be unhealthy:
- Frequent sneezing or coughing
- Watery, itchy eyes
- Chronic congestion or sinus problems
- Headaches or fatigue
- Worsening asthma symptoms
- Shortness of breath or chest tightness
- Dry or irritated skin
- Musty or unpleasant odors in the home
- Recurring cold-like symptoms that don’t go away
Permanent IAQ Solutions for a Healthier Home
The good news is that all these problems are fixable. But you can’t just plug in a room air purifier and hope for the best.
Air purifiers will make a difference in your air quality, but all they do is remove contaminants. To create a truly healthy home, you have to stop contaminants from entering in the first place.
At Total Home Performance, we identify the root cause of indoor air quality issues and implement permanent solutions that protect your home and your family’s health.
Here’s how we do it:
Crawl Space Encapsulation
Encapsulating your crawl space means sealing it off from moisture and outside air. We install a heavy-duty vapor barrier, seal all vents and openings, insulate, and often add dehumidification to keep the space dry, mold-free, and pest-free.
Air Sealing
By air sealing gaps, cracks, and penetrations in your attic, walls, and foundation, we can stop moisture and allergens from infiltrating your home.
Waterproofing & Drainage
We use proven waterproofing and drainage methods, including French drains, sump pumps, and moisture barriers, to keep water out of your basement or crawl space. Whether it’s from spring rains or rising groundwater, our basement waterproofing systems stop the moisture before it becomes a problem.
Mold Remediation
Already dealing with mold? We offer professional mold remediation services to safely remove mold and fix the underlying moisture issue so it doesn’t return.